The Calm Before the Storm
by remiparker
Summary: A mission in the middle of the ocean turns into a fight for survival for the members of Bravo.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: New Story Time! I've been working on this one for months now, and after talking things through with _hfish7_, I think now is a good time to post it. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Plot: A mission in the middle of the ocean turns into a fight for survival for the members of Bravo.**

Chapter 1

"We can't keep this up!"

"I'm on my last mag!"

"You need to call it!"

"No! Not yet! Keep going!"

"I'm on my sidearm! We have to go or we're dead!"

"There's still time!"

"Not for us!"

"I'm Winchester!"

"No, we can—I can still—shit!"

A bullet strikes the metal pole inches from his head. Sparks fly, burning his skin where they land. He falls back on the platform. Something—no, someone—roughly grabs the front of his gear, forcing him to look up at his brother.

"Our exfil window is closing and we gotta get Jase outta here! Ray! We have to go!" Sonny yells over the roar of the fire, the high winds, the constant pinging of the bullets hitting everything but them. "I'm sorry, but we ain't got a choice, brother! Move it!"

Ray is pulled to his feet but stays low. In the chaos around him he can see Sonny returning fire to a small group of tangos above them. Trent shoulders their unconscious leader, gives a sharp nod, and Ray leads his brothers to the waiting chopper that hovered over the crumbling structure.

"Let's go! Go, go, go, go!" Ray yells as Sonny leads them to the chopper while Ray covers their six. He waits for Trent to run by with Jason before following them, returning fire to any tangos still alive on the burning platform.

Perry arrives at the helipad where he sees three sets of hands pulling Jason in as it hovers above the ocean structure. Trent is helped in next as Ray watches, hoping, praying, for a miracle of any kind.

He stares at the area he last saw them.

Squints through the building rain.

But it's just as empty as it was after they fell through.

_What have I done?_

"Ray!"

Bravo Two forces his legs to move, allows the others to help him in the chopper. He didn't fight as the pilot lifted them into the air and back to base, but his eyes never leave that spot. Not until they were out of range and the only thing he could see was black smoke blending with the black clouds. When he settles slightly, he looks at the state of the remaining members of Bravo.

Jason is being tended to by a medic, his status at the time unknown. Sonny has a cut somewhere on his arm because his left sleeve is stained red and he's holding it tight to his chest. Trent tosses Three a rag, then goes back to helping the medic who is looking over Hayes. And Ray? Well, he's had better days.

"It ain't your fault."

"Like hell it isn't!" Ray can't even bring himself to look at Sonny. "With Jase down, leadership responsibilities fall to me. I told them to go around, get the intel before we lost it. Jason wouldn't have made that call. It was stupid and they paid for it."

Sonny is getting ready to say something when the chopper begins its descent to the ground. Soon they land, and are quickly swarmed by doctors and nurses. Lt. Commander Blackburn is there as well, walking towards Bravo with an unreadable look on his face. The members of Bravo who were not currently unconscious all open their mouths to speak, but he cuts them off. "You are to get yourselves checked out first and foremost. Then you are going to tell me, in _great_ _detail_, why two members of Bravo are MIA. Dismissed."

No one dare speak and instead shuffled after the doctors to the base medical ward, all wondering where they went wrong.

#

**Earlier, Virginia Beach**

"Someone please inform young Spenser to _not_ jump off the GOPLAT this time." Sonny quipped at Mandy pulled up an image of their target mid-brief. "If he does, I ain't giving him anything above a 6.3."

"If all goes to plan, you won't need such a hasty exit."

"If?" says Jason from his seat at the table. "If is a big word, Mandy."

"I'm aware. But hitting this oil rig now is our only chance at getting the intel Grizo hid there."

"And you're sure it's on this rusty ol' rig? Not one that is just a few miles away? Or some other location?"

"The CIA intel is solid. You'll be in and out before anyone realizes the rig was breached and the drive gone."

There are audible sighs around the room. "Now you done and gone jinxed it, Ellis!"

"Relax, boys. Grizo is smart, but he didn't want to draw attention to that rig for a reason, even if it is out of service. There will be two, maybe four or six armed guards by the time you arrive."

Clay interjects, "A max of two on each level?"

"We assume so. Take them out, get the drive out of the captains' quarters and hit exfil."

"Quick, just like that." Hayes stands, stretches. "Should be back in time for Mikey's game this weekend."

#

**C-17**

The flight to the drop off point was one in mostly silence. Since the team needed darkness to make the grab, they left in the middle of the night and would arrive on target just before dawn broke.

Bravo Team was scattered about, either sleeping or talking to someone who wasn't sleeping. Clay was restless. Ever since he was cleared to join Bravo again, he's been rather antsy. The guys quickly picked up on this but figured he would get his nerves out before the op was well under way. Unable to sleep, or lay still long enough to try to sleep, Spenser got up and walked over to the cooler. He notices Brock huddled in a corner with his phone. Man, he really can lay anywhere, Clay thinks as he walks over.

"Hey."

Brock look up from the screen of his phone, sees Spenser holding a bottle of water. "Thanks."

"Sure." Clay cracks his own open and takes a sip. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, Mac just sent me pics of Cerb in a tux." Brock flips his screen around and Clay smiles. He'd be fooled if he didn't know Cerb was a working dog. "She's undoing every bit of training I've ingrained into that dog, I swear."

"Nah, Mackenzie doesn't seem like that kind of person."

"And you've met her, what? Three times? You don't know Mac. It'll take me weeks to get Cerb back in his tact vest after this."

Clay seems surprised at that. "Really?"

Brock pauses. "No, not really, but the point remains. I think Cerberus is just enjoying his vacation is all."

"What's a vacation?"

"Touché."

Lt. Commander Blackburn walks past Bravo as he heads for the back of the plane. "Okay, boys. We'll be reaching the drop point at 0530. Get some rest while you can."

"That's my cue."

"Hey, Clay? How're things with Stella?"

It is no secret Clay and Stella are trying to give things another shot. The guys weren't thrilled when they first found out, especially since they all remember the way she broke his heart the first time, but young Spenser has been happy of late. Really happy. Maybe Stella knows what it takes to love a SEAL this go around.

Clay only smiles as he takes a seat and tries to get some rest.

**AN: Leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: New chapter for you all! Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy!**

**Also, I reserve (more) creative licenses from here on out. ;p**

Chapter 2

**Before, GOPLAT**

The objective was straightforward. Get aboard the rig. Take out the tangos. Grab the intel. Make for exfil. Should be in and out before the sun breaks the horizon.

Bravo Team moved quickly as they climbed onto the rig. Clearing the first and second levels proved to be easy as there was not but a single tango to take out each time. However, by the time the reached the third level, things went south.

They were contacted immediately, by more than two tangos. Sparks flew as bullets pinged off the metal structure. Jason looks at Ray, signals with his hands, then waits for Ray to get in position.

Two lays down cover fire for One, who works on getting to the side the tangos so they can attack from two angles. A few quick shots echo, and the tangos fall without much more of a fight. Jason is about to give the clear to move forward when his body jerks and he crumbles backwards.

"SNIPER!" yells Sonny as he spins around and aims his weapon high. Doing so gives Trent and Ray cover as they run to Jason and pull him behind cover, but a burning sensation erupting across his left arm tells him it wasn't without risk.

"Trent, talk to me!"

"Two in his chest plate, looks like one grazed his side. Whiskey Tango F..." Trent pulls out gauze and packs the wound, while searching for any other injuries and ducking his head as bullets ping around him. "May have broken a rib or two. We gotta get that intel before this rig is overrun. Where the hell are these tangos coming from!?"

"I don't know!" Ray was thinking the same thing. He can see the door that leads to the captain's quarters, but with the sniper overhead, more tangos approaching their current position and time running out, Ray made the only choice he could that didn't involve leaving Sonny to back up Trent and Jason alone. "Five! Six! Grab the intel and make for exfil!"

"You got it!"

"Copy that!"

Brock takes point, leading Clay to the opposite side of the rig. They each take out two tangos who ran up the stairs in a futile attempt to stop them from reaching the quarters. Once clear, Five leads them across a long catwalk. They were but a few feet away from the door, when the rusty metal flooring buckles beneath Brock's weight. Before he can think about what is happening, it collapses completely, taking Bravo Five down as well.

Clay doesn't have time to yell as he sees Brock fall through the walkway. He simply reacts and lunges forward, grabbing onto whatever he can. He can't stifle a cry of pain as his right shoulder strains under the sharp pressure, nor as the metal stabs in his arm.

Spenser looks down at Reynolds as he tightens the grip on Five's forearm. He says through gritted teeth, "I've got you... I've got you, man."

Brock tilts his head back as far as he can, tries to look up. He is welcomed with the sight of seeing waves of pain working its way across Clay's face as the younger SEAL tries to keep him from falling into the ocean. The sound of gunfire is still loud, meaning their brothers are still under attack. Are unable to help. And they still had to gather the intel before it was lost. Five tries to say something, but Clay cuts him off.

"Don't… don't you say it! Don't you give up on me!" Clay grits his teeth, tries to pull Brock up with one arm, but the angle he is at is making it impossible and the jagged shards of broken metal is digging deeper into his shoulder. "Just… just hold…"

Brock's chin nears his chest. He can see the choppy waves below. A fall from this height probably won't kill him. At least, not right away...and the landing wouldn't be very pleasant either. He can feel his grip waning, along with his energy to hold on. He slips slightly. But Clay won't let go.

_Damn, that kid is stubborn..._

"Don't give up, Brock." Clay pleads. "Please, don't-"

_...and he's lost so many brothers already._

"Please-"

Brock is finding it very difficult to stay awake, and he doesn't know why. By this point, he isn't even holding on to Clay's arm anymore, his hand has since gone limp, numb. This forces Six to tighten his own grip.

Five's eyes drift shut, he thinks of Mac and Cerberus, how they'll take the news. And he thinks of his brothers, especially the one above him. He wants to hold on, but he's so tired.

Brock's head dips forward just as Six screams his name.

Suddenly, the rig shakes. Clay looks over his shoulder, squints through the steady rain at the last place he saw his brothers. He sees Sonny and Ray fighting to hold off the enemy as the structure crumbles and burns around them. Trent has Jason slung over his shoulder and he is running towards a waiting chopper.

There was no way he'd be able to pull Brock up.

No way to get to exfil.

Leaving him with only one choice.

Clay, ever so reluctantly, releases his hold on Brock.

Then he jumps into the ocean below as the rig explodes above him.

#

**Present**

"So, let me get this straight. There were more than six tangos on the rig. You did not get the intel. One and Three were injured. Five and Six are officially MIA and assumed injured… somewhere in the Indian Ocean no less." Blackburn runs a hand down his bearded face, having a very hard time comprehending the detailed rundown Bravo just gave him. "Fantastic."

"What I want to know is where those tangos were hiding, why they waited until we were on the rig before shooting." Jason is sitting awkwardly in a chair, nursing his cracked ribs and bullet graze. The doctor suggested he rest for two or three days, but as soon as Ray told him they lost Brock and Clay, he marched his aching body down to Blackburn and demanded to know what their plan for finding them was. Trent had to chase him with morphine. If Hayes was going to force himself to work through the injuries he sustained, then Sawyer had to make sure he didn't pass out in the middle of it all.

Mandy pulls up a picture on the screen for everyone to see, and the team plus Eric stared at it with wide eyes. "A friend of mine at Langley sent me this. Supposedly, groups like the one we're up against prefer to sleep in boiler rooms. In case they are attacked, they'll have the element of surprise."

"Sleep? In boiler rooms?" Trent asked with surprise. "Damn."

Ray mutters, "You've got to be kidding me."

"And I'm guessing ISR can't get a heat sig reading in rooms that are like over 100 degrees, or…?" Sonny mutters as he flexes his aching arm. "That not how that works?"

Ellis purses her lips. "We had no way of knowing there were more fighters on the rig. I'm sorry, guys."

"We walked into a trap. There probably wasn't any intel on the rig in the first place!" Jason tosses a sheet of paper across the table. "And lost Clay and Brock in the process. Sorry doesn't cut it, Mandy."

"We'll find them, Jase." Ray tries to comfort his best friend, but he isn't even sure he believes his own words. "We will. You gotta have faith."

"How, Ray? How? The building storm means no ISR, and even if we had eyes, we wouldn't even know where to begin looking. The current probably dragged them out miles from their last known pos by the destroyed rig by now if they didn't-" Jason's words are cut off when he moves too quickly, jarring his already aching ribs.

"You can't think like that. They are trained for this. And you've been their team leader for long enough." Ray says, trying as he might to lift everyone's spirits. "They'll hold on long enough for us to find them. I don't doubt it."

**AN: Things are gonna get more intense from here on out. Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thank you all for the lovely reviews! And to those who are now following, welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride! :)**

Chapter 3

**Somewhere in the Indian Ocean**

"H-how long's… it b-been?"

"An hour? Probably more."

"My legs are… numb." Brock's head dips beneath a wave but he surfaces fairly quickly. "I d-don't know if I can keep this u-up."

"Yes, you can. They'll find us. They'll find us." Clay tries to reassure his brother, but the red water around them and the fact that the rainfall is getting heavier makes him question if it will be in time. "We gotta stop the bleeding."

"Yeah, well... I-I'm open to s-suggestions." Brock mumbles. He'd come to realize the reason why he was struggling to stay awake 48 minutes ago: the gash on his right side, just above his hip but below his tact vest, was bleeding freely. Even with a shard of the rusty catwalk embedded in his waist, it hasn't slowed the bleeding much if the amount of red water around them was any indication.

Clay, after his second swan dive from the GOPLAT, found it was rather hard keeping both himself and Brock above water. His injured arm and shoulder (also the cause for the red water around them) was making treading water nearly impossible, but once Five came around, he was able to keep himself afloat while Clay took stock of the situation.

"Uh, well, I've just got one." Spenser looks at Brock, blinks salt water from his eyes. Brock is already shaking his head. "There isn't another option here. And we can pack it with-"

"N-no. No way." Brock spits water—and blood, Clay notes—out of his mouth. Treading water with one arm while the other is pressed tightly against his injured side is really tiring to say the least, but not completely impossible. "T-too risky."

"It doesn't add much more risk than where we already are." Six can feel the current trying to pull him and Five further apart. They'd been treading water for over an hour by now, and with nothing to keep them afloat, it was getting harder and harder to remain side by side. "You need to keep your strength up."

"Trent will… kill you if you t-take it out." Brock forces the words through chattering teeth. "And it's n-not worth attracting m-more s-sharks."

"There aren't any sharks." Clay finds himself saying, though he is sure he saw the tip of a fin out of the corner of his eye just a few minutes ago. And felt something brush against his foot. "You've just been around Sonny too long."

"You a-aren't taking it o-out, Clay."

Time drags by and the rain gets heavier as the storm clouds get darker in spite of it being somewhere around late morning. Soon Bravo Six is forced to grab Five as the older man is struggling to keep his head above the crashing waves. Both are tired. Both are freezing. And both are bleeding with no way of stopping the flow. Eventually wreckage from the destroyed rig floats by, and Clay, somehow, manages to grab on to it, all but throwing Five onto the broken piece of wood.

"You need to get up here too, 'Lay." Brock mumbles in between ragged coughs. "P-plenty of room… like that movie… with t-those people… 'nd the t-thing."

_Great, he's delirious. Wounds probably going septic._ "Uh, Titanic? Didn't take you as a romance movie kinda guy." _Gotta keep him talking, gotta keep him awake._

It takes a while for Clay to get a response. "It's t-the only romance m-movie Mac can s-sit through. Rose should've made room f-for Jack…"

Clay chuckles, actually chuckles in the middle of the ocean as he fought to hold onto the debris with one hand as the storm winds increased. He's all but yelling as he replies, "There may have been room, Brock, but that door wouldn't have held both Jack and Rose's weight."

"Says y-you." Six could barely hear Five's reply.

"I'm just telling you the truth, man."

"... 'm tellin' Mac."

The rain is coming down in thick, heavy sheets now. Brock could no longer hold onto the splintered wood by himself, so it was up to Clay to keep the man aboard. Spenser's muscles burned, even though the cold was burrowing down into his bones. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face, and there has now been at least three times he felt something brush up against his numb legs.

And he's sure it _isn_'t debris.

"Yeah. Yeah, you go ahead and tell her, buddy." He mutters, since he isn't sure Brock can even hear him. "You can tell her, and we'll be fine."

It is the sound of something approaching the two men that caused the younger SEAL to turn his aching head.

"Before or a-after we're c-caught?" says Five as he peers through unfocused eyes.

Clay simply says, "Before you bleed out." _Or we get eaten by sharks._

#

Clay does his best to keep his bearings. He really, really tries. But once he was pulled from the waters grip and that hood was pulled down tight over his head, he lost everything he held onto.

He knew right away that they were dealing with pirates. Pirates who know two American sailors when they see them. However, when they saw they state of a certain canine handler, they nearly left him to the growing number of white tipped fish with razor sharp teeth.

It took some (a lot of) persuasion on Spenser's part, selling the men on the idea of two (injured) SEALs rather than just one. But he did it. Somehow. And now he and Brock were sitting in a growing puddle of blood and water as the pirates' speed towards whatever patch of sea or land they've carved out for themselves just as the rain begins to break.

When he was hauled to his feet, Clay once again tried to recall which way he was taken. Even though his legs closely resembled wet noodles and he couldn't see, he _could_ keep track of when they exited the small speed boat and boarded another ship (he tripped going up the steps), and how many levels they descended into the other ship (he slipped going down the steps). Spenser tensed up when he was shoved none too gently into a cold, metal chair. He bit back a cry of pain at his arms were then pulled back at an unnatural angle and tied down behind him.

The room lapsed into a bitter silence after the heavy footsteps echoed away, save for his own ragged breathing that occurred through chattering teeth. The heavy hood over his head was making it hard to keep track of time that dragged by but seeing as his clothes were no longer sopping wet and were more so damp than anything else, it had to be just a little while.

When a door slams open and the heavy footsteps beat across the floor once more, Clay tenses. He tries not to show it, but once the hood is removed, he knows things are about to get a lot worse.

Brock is the first thing he sees, sitting in the same position as Clay, not more than ten feet to his left. By some miracle (or tragedy), Five is awake, though he clearly doesn't want to be. Even through his damp clothes, Clay can see the amount of blood that still drips out of the other man's wound. However, the puddle on the floor beneath his chair is small, which means Goon One or Goon Two patched him up to some extent.

_That could only mean one thing._

Clay's fears were confirmed when Goon One walked in with a tripod and a old school camcorder, while Goon Two sauntered behind with an armful of tools. Spenser is forced to watch as the men set up the camera, lay out each tool on a table in the back of the room. The men talk to each other, but Clay can't make out what they are saying as he does not know the language.

Which is saying something because Clay knows a lot of languages.

One of the men's pockets chirps to life. He removes a radio, holds it up to listen, then both of the goons mutter to each other before they leave the room, closing and locking the door behind them.

I guess they don't want us going anywhere, Clay thinks dryly to himself. Spenser takes this time to try the binds around his wrists. Doing so jars his shoulder, sending a white hot pain up and down his entire right arm. He gasps, tries to keep his vision from turning black, breathes and waits for it to relent some.

"You 'kay?"

Clay squints at Brock who appears to be holding himself together rather well, all things considered. He isn't sure if Five is doing so because of what is about to go down, or if there is another reason hidden beneath the layer of blood and salt water.

"I'll be better once we get out of here." Clay looks around the room, tries to piece a plan together. His arm is numb, but he figures he may be able to dislocate his thumb, take out the two Goons when they come back and work on signaling HAVOC where they are.

Somehow.

Unfortunately, the door swings open and the Goons walk in once more.

#

Jason walks back and forth across the room, one arm wrapped around his aching waist and the other swinging back and forth anxiously by his side. The sound of thunder gets closer with each passing minute, but that doesn't stop him from staring at the darkening clouds overhead, wishing, praying, for them to go somewhere else.

Anywhere else but here.

Anywhere else but now.

The rain from earlier had passed through, giving HAVOC time to get ISR up to search for Clay and Brock. It took some time, but they managed to find the two SEALs floating about a mile from the GOPLAT wreckage before a speedboat picked them up.

It didn't take a genius to realize pirates had entered the picture, which could only make things more difficult going forward.

HAVOC was able to follow the boat to a larger vessel a mere ten miles from the GOPLAT. There was no proof that the pirates and Grizo worked together, but a betting man would wager such things. Brass was dragging their feet, not wanting to risk sending Bravo out on a rescue op when the mission to get the intel was already a failure. They based their reasons on the new storm that was quickly approaching, and therefore were pushing Blackburn to head back to the States.

Without Reynolds and Spenser.

Hayes was having none of it.

"Now. We gotta go now, Eric." Jason says when he sees a small opening on the screen. Blackburn had people tracking the storm that was threatening to become hurricane level, and Hayes was all but hovering over the men and women. "This is our only chance."

"I can't fly you out there, Jason. By the time the chopper gets close enough to drop Bravo even a reasonable distance from the ship-which would still be far in those waters-they wouldn't be able to make it back to base before the storm hits."

"Then don't fly us. We'll grab a couple zodiacs, hit the ship before they realize what happened and get our boys back."

"And you'll still be trapped in the storm!" Eric feels like he's repeating himself at this point. "Look, I know you want to get Brock and Clay-"

"Do you?"

"I do! But I can't risk losing an entire team in the process!"

"Our window is closing, Eric. We know pirates out here are ruthless. They probably already figured out they have two Americans fighters hostage. You know what that means, right? They start a live video and do God knows what to them! I will not sit here and wait, doing _nothing_, when I know that we can do _something_!"

Eric knows Jason makes valid points. But if sending the rest of Bravo out to save Clay and Brock means losing them all in one stormy swoop? Could he live with himself?

"Mendez, what's the timetable for the storms arrival upon the vessel's current pos?"

Mendez reads the chart to Blackburn and Hayes, "The storm is expected to hit the vessel's current pos in approximately 43 minutes."

"And if Bravo were to travel via zodiac, how long would they have to eliminate the tangos and rescue Bravos Five and Six before that happens?"

"Counting for travel time via zodiac from our current position to the vessel, Bravo Team would have approximately seven minutes to exfil Petty Officers Reynolds and Spenser before the storm hits."

"Seven minutes, Jason." Eric says, turning to Hayes. "You have seven minutes to find them before the ocean turn into the eye of the storm. Once it hits, you'll be trapped out there until it passes. And we can't come get you _until_ it passes. You understand that, right?"

"We do." Jason replies in a firm, dead set voice. "We left them once already. That will not happen again."

Eric nods, inwardly proud that Bravo is led by such a man. "Okay. Get the guys. Grab all the gear you may need. Grab the gear you _think_ you may need. We aren't sure how long this storm will last, so I can't say how long it will be before we can get exfil up and out to you."

"Copy that." Jason jogs off to tell the rest of the team to get ready to move, though if he knows his brothers, they are already packed and waiting for him.

Sure enough, they are.

"Well?" Ray was leaning against the wall closest to the door, but jumps forward when he sees his best friend walk into the room.

"We leave in three minutes. Pack for the long haul, we don't know when exfil will be able to come get us." says Hayes to his team. "Trent, pack for the worse. Just in case."

"Done and done."

Two minutes later, Bravo Team was loaded and ready to go. They took two zodiacs, one larger for the men, and one smaller for the gear Trent triple secured and strapped down. He can't risk a single thing being lost in this storm, and as they get closer towards the pirates vessel, and the rain got heavier, Sawyer was glad he kept some of the most important gear on his person.

"We're coming up on the ship now! Ray, stay with the boats, have whatever Trent needs ready to go when we come out." Jason yells over the rain as he preps. "Sonny and Trent with me! We'll start on the top deck, work our wa-"

Without warning, lightning cracks across the sky with a booming clap of thunder, and strikes the stern of the ship.

Then it explodes in a bright glow of red, orange and yellow.

**AN: Uhhh... sorry (only kinda). I'd love to know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thank you all for the love on this story thus far. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 4

Clay pulls against the binds that keep him in the chair. He shouted at the men, cursed at them in every language he could think of.

But it didn't matter.

Goon One walked over to the table, while his partner stood ready by the camera. It felt as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the room as the red light flicked on, indicating one of Clay's fears. It only got worse as the Goon Two pointed the camera in Brock's direction and Goon One walked over with the pliers in hand.

Brock didn't seem to notice.

Clay does.

He leans forward in his seat, shouts at the men who approach Brock. Clay doesn't have a plan, but if he can get the Goons to shift their focus-just for a little while-then he can prevent Brock's injuries from getting worse.

Maybe they'll get tired.

Maybe they'll leave the room.

All Spenser can do is hope it's enough.

His constant commotion is enough to delay the inevitable: first its a punch to his side, well placed over his liver. It is not enough to make him stop, so another strike splits his lip. The Goon rears back quickly and hits his right shoulder with enough force to dislocate the already injured joint with ease.

Clay shouts as his vision darkens around the edges, screams at the men who turn their attention to Brock once more. Spenser says something else, something that gets a rise from Goon One, but before the Goon can pull back his bruising fist, the ship shakes. Clay recognizes the sound of an explosion, and for a second he believes his brothers have finally arrived.

His hopes are shot down as he catches a few words from the radio across the room, of something that resembles "storm" and "lightning" in languages he knows anyway. The two goons run out of the room, and shut the door behind them.

But they do not lock it.

Clay knows it is now or never.

"Five? Five, you with me?" Clay says in a hushed voice. He can see the recording light is still on, but has no way of knowing if the feed is even live.

Seconds pass by before Bravo Five replies. "I'm here, Six."

"Good. I'm gonna-I'm gonna get us out of here."

Brock manages a half nod, but nothing more.

"Shit! Five, you gotta stay awake man! Keep talking!" Clay can no longer feel his right arm. Which he would chalk up under "not a good sign" if he hadn't realized another problem.

The chair is bolted to the floor. His legs are tied to the legs of the chair. His arms are tied to the back frame of the chair, his wrists secured to the corner that connects the legs to the seat.

He couldn't dislocate his thumb because he couldn't reach it.

They're stuck.

"Dammit!" Clay continues to struggle against his binds, trying to get free even though everything in his mind told him that wasn't going to happen on his own.

Bravo Six gasps for air, works on slowing down his breathing and his mind. He tries to think of another plan, tries to figure out how he can get them both out before the pirates come back. Maybe he can work up enough force to dislocate his thumb without using his other hand… but how? With another curse and a sigh, he looks at Five, just to make sure the other man was still there with him.

Brock was.

But he was _not_ looking good.

The small puddle of blood and water beneath Five's seat had grown slightly since Clay last looked. Reynolds was pale, making his jet black hair and beard stand out more than it normally would. His breathing was ragged. Somehow, he kept his head high, didn't show any fear. He was holding strong, even when he shouldn't be able to.

Spenser knew he wouldn't be able to do this forever, which made his failure hurt that much more.

Clay lowers his head, takes a deep breath. He opens his mouth to tell Brock something when he hears a creaking sound coming from behind them. He strains his neck as he looks over his shoulder, eyes going wide at the sight of water steadily flowing into the room and begins to pool around their feet. The hole is about the size of a man's fist, but the water is pushing in fast, widening the hole as it does.

The sound of gunfire is enough to snap Spenser's attention back to the door. Another explosion resounds and the ship shakes, which makes Brock raise his tired head.

Clay looks at Brock. They both manage a smile, in spite of everything, because they'd recognize the sound of those weapons anywhere.

Their brothers found them.

Unfortunately, the water was pushing into the small room at an alarming rate, already lapping around their shins and quickly reaching for their knees. Neither of them wanted to yell, didn't want to bring the pirates back to finish them off before their brothers had a chance to come for them.

They were forced to wait.

And the water continued to rise.

The sound of gunfire grew closer and closer. Even over the sound of seawater at their backs and gunfire in front of them, the sound that alarmed them the most is the overwhelming, unmistakable, sound of metal breaking apart. A jarring crash echoes soon after, then nothing.

A few seconds pass before a faint sound breaks that silence.

_"Five?! Six?!"_

#

Ray struggled to get the zodiacs close enough to the pirates vessel as the storm raged on. He needed to get into a position where his brothers could easily get aboard, but not too close to where their only form of transportation and protection from the storm would be damaged by the larger ship.

With time running out, Jason ordered Sonny and Trent into the water after Ray got the boat within twenty feet. They would make it work.

After the stern of the ship exploded, the pirates aboard ran around in chaos. At first, it was easy to take them out, seeing as they were worried with putting out the fire than to notice the three SEALs walking around. But once the tangos realized they had unwelcomed company aboard, things shifted.

Jason was quick on the trigger, taking out two tangos in quick succession, but before those men fell dead, two or three would replace them. Sonny and Trent were having the same amount of luck in that regard, and they were not making any headway. The pirates had them pinned behind some crates until Jason told Sonny to toss a flash grenade. Once the bright light stunned the tangos on deck, Bravo Team pushed forward, _hard_, overwhelming the enemies with a surprising force behind three SEALs.

The small victory was short lived as the ship jerks in the rough waters. The sound of metal creaking reaches Bravo's ears as they struggle to keep their feet while they continue to clear the deck. Heavy rain and crashing waves made the deck slippery, and it is Trent's quick reaction that keeps Sonny from being swept overboard when a large wave slammed into the boat and the men.

Trent asks as he pulls himself to his feet, "You good?"

"Yeah, yeah." Sonny nods as he spits water from his mouth. "Jase! The ship is going down!"

They were already working on a short time table, but now they had even less time than they originally planned for. With the storm making it nearly impossible to see and the ship sinking at an alarming rate, Jason was forced to make a tough choice.

"Split up! Call out when you've found them!" Hayes yells at he tells them which level to check. He then keys his comms, "Ray! The ship is sinking! We're splitting up to find them, get ready!"

_"Copy that! Be advised the waves keep pushing me back! I'm trying to keep it close, but-"_

"Just do what you can!" Jason replies. He then turns towards the bridge and begins his search, hoping, wishing, praying that they aren't too late to save their brothers.

**AN: Yea, no cliffhanger! (I make up for it later, don't worry). ;p**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: First off, welcome new followers to this crazy story and thank you to everyone who has left such lovely reviews. You all have picked up on some of the really small details I've included, which makes my fandom heart flutter. I really hope you all enjoy it as it slowly comes to a close. Secondly, I feel like I should apologize now. *hides under table***

Chapter 5

The three SEALs break off to search for their missing brothers in their assigned areas. Jason took the few rooms off the deck as well as the bridge, Trent the second level and Sonny the hull. Though they were separated, they moved quickly and in sync, eliminating any remaining tangos that came across their warpath.

Jason did not see Clay or Brock, and instead found intel that suggested Grizo was working with the pirates. The intel they were initially after on the rig may have been lost, but maybe the Mandy could use what Hayes found on the pirate vessel. Bravo One places the item in a watertight pouch and places it back into his bag, then continues searching the upper level for his men.

Trent is winding down his sweep of the second level and is about to head down to the hull to see if Sonny needs any help when he is contacted by a pirate. The man comes out fast, wrapping his arms around the SEALs waist, and slams him back into the wall of a room he just cleared.

The tango pulls back, brings his arm down in a swift motion that sends a fire crawling up Trent's left arm as the blade slices through his skin. Sawyer recovers quickly, rams his right elbow into the tangos shoulder repeatedly until the man lets go and stumbles back. The tango yells something as he prepares to charge once more but Trent already has his weapon up. He fires two quick shots center mass and the tango drops dead.

"Bravo Four to One and Three, I just got contacted. They're still coming from somewhere!" he yells into his comms as he leaves the room while tying some gauze around his bleeding arm. Again, the ship jolts, and Trent is finding it difficult to remain upright. "My hole is dry. Anything on your end?"

Down in the hull, Sonny pushes forward, yelling for his brothers and taking out any tangos who cross his path with well placed shots. His voice is nearly gone, the storm and the sinking ship is making it hard to walk in a straight line. Not to mention the noise of the vessel breaking apart at the bolts. Something crashes up ahead. Still, he takes the time to reply to Trent. "I've still got a few rooms to check in the hull! Could use a hand here!"

_"On my way!"_

Sonny's training tells him he should wait for backup to arrive, but Clay and Brock are already working on borrowed time. He can't wait, so he pushes forward, deeper into the hull, yelling out for his brothers. The floor warps beneath his feet and soon the water that is spilling from all four sides of the hall is up to this hips.

He pushes himself to go faster.

"Five?! Six?!"

Quinn has one hand on the wall and the other gripping his weapon, when he hears it. The rushing and pulsing of the water makes him question it, just for a second, but then he hears it again.

And there's no mistaking it.

_"Three!"_

"Clay?" Sonny takes a few hesitant steps forward. "Six!"

_"Three! We're in here!"_

Bravo Three is moving in overdrive now. He clears the first and second room quickly, but when he comes up on the door for the third, he is greeted with a problem: part of the ceiling caved in, effectively blocking the entrance. Sonny grabs the debris, pulls and tugs as he mutters, "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

After what felt like an eternity-if it were not for the raising water level as an actual indicator-the debris finally relented and splashed into the water out of the way. Sonny pushes the door open. He would have stopped short at the sight of his brothers if his pulsing adrenaline wasn't already through the roof. Knowing they need to get off the ship _yesterday_, Sonny rushes to Clay, who was closest to the door.

"No, no, help Five!" Clay says with a firm jerk of his head and a noticeable wince. Sonny stops short with a confused look on his face, even as he wades through the water. "He's worse off, you gotta get him outta here!"

"No t-time." Brock mumbles between labored breathing. "Three, just... get the kid 'nd go."

"No!" Sonny can't help but notice the camera that is nearly submerged in the freezing water as he says, "I've got you. _Both_ of you! Just give me a minute to-"

"Three-"

"NO, dammit! No!" flashes of being trapped in the torpedo tube come flooding back to Quinn's memory. He knows he's isn't trapped, but his brothers are and the panic in his chest raises. Brock and Clay are counting on him. He can't freeze up now. "Trent, I need you the hell down here!"

Bravo Three is getting ready to dive under to cut the ropes that bound Clay when he sees the look on the younger SEAL's eyes. He didn't want to face the truth. Didn't want to go through saying goodbye _again_.

But he knew.

They were all thinking the same thing.

Brock was wounded-hell, they both were-but he had a sister, had Cerberus. He had family waiting for him.

That shouldn't be a reason.

Ash may be related to Clay by blood, but they were far from family. And Stella… well… maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

That shouldn't be a reason, either.

Fact remains, Bravo Team is the only family Clay has.

He made peace dying with them-_for them_-a long time ago.

Sonny knew he wouldn't be able to cut Brock and Clay loose in time.

Sonny knew the water would be above their heads before they were free and out of the flooding room.

Sonny knew he wouldn't be able to swim them all out of there before the ocean claimed her latest victim.

A choice had to be made. A choice no one should ever have to make. But he was right there by Clay… then he looks at Brock and-

"It's okay. Get Five." Clay says. The water is up to his chest now, raising faster as it swirls around Sonny's abdomen. Everything told Spenser to take a deep breath because it would likely be the last one he would take. But did he really want to delay the inevitable? "Tell the guys-"

"Tell them yourself, kid!" Sonny shouts. "Just shut up and let me get y'all outta here!"

"It's been an honor." Clay gives one final, reaffirming nod. "Hoo-ya."

"Kid! No, dammit! Clay!"

No sooner than the final word left his mouth did the water raise up over Clay's blond head. Sonny knows that Brock is in the same predicament, but in far worse shape.

Quinn had been paying so much attention to Spenser, that he didn't notice if Reynolds managed to take a breath of air before his supply of oxygen was taken away. Unable to question things any further, Sonny sucks air into his lungs and dives under, pushing his own fears to the side.

Swallowed in the cold ocean water, Three goes to work. Knife in hand, Sonny swims the shot distance and cuts away the rope around Brock's wrists and ankles. Even in the dimming light he can't help but notice the jagged tear on the side of Five's uniform, or the foreign object that scrapped his hand as he grabbed onto Brock. Or the red liquid that seeped out of the wound. Sonny quickens his pace.

Somehow, by some great miracle, Sonny manages to swim out of the room and then crawl up the slanted hall, and then stumble back up to the deck that currently wasn't underwater. All with Brock's arm slung limply over his shoulder, while his own arm was wrapped tight around the canine handler's waist. Amazingly Reynolds was still awake and stumbling along; Sonny really, really hoped to keep it that way.

Once on the remnants of the deck, Three turns his light on so Ray could find them. Perry soon arrives with the zodiacs, getting as close as he could without being sucked into the whirlpool of the still sinking ship.

"I can't get any closer!" Ray shouts.

Sonny nods, not that Two could see him the pouring rain. "We're gonna have to swim for it, buddy. Okay? I've got you." Quinn can feel Brock's grip tighten around his shirt collar, and takes that as a sign the other SEAL is ready to go.

They jump into the raging waters.

The waves suck them in quickly, and Three kicks to the surface as fast as he dared. Once they break, he swims over to a waiting Ray, who quickly helps them into the boat while being mindful of Brock's wound when Sonny points it out.

"They weren't together?" Ray asks as he begins to work on Brock. "Sonny? Where's Spenser?"

Sonny ignores the question-not ready to face the harsh truth-and turns back to the ship. "Where're Jason and Trent?"

Bravo Two is about to key his comms to ask that very question when they see a figure scrambling across the slanted deck, just before they jump into the water. Ray and Sonny wait a few (long) seconds, wonder which of their brothers it is, when Trent surfaces, spitting up water. He swims over and is helped into the boat.

"I couldn't get down to the hull. Debris blocked off the flooded areas." he says between coughs when he sees Sonny in front of him. Then he notices Ray is tending to Brock. "Where's Clay? Jason?"

A loud crack of thunder reverberates in the air. Lightning strikes near and far. The rain continues to pour out from the heavens. The ocean is restless in its building rage.

Ray trades places with Trent, then goes for his comms. "Bravo Two to Bravo One, come in? Bravo One, come in. Jason?"

The only sound that could be heard is that of the storm they were trapped in. Ray tires the radio again and again, but there is no response from their Team leader. Or their youngest member.

No static.

Nothing.

The members of Bravo Team that were huddled in the zodiac watched in horror as the bow of the ship rose up and reached for the dark, wet sky. It was just like in the movies, where the ship stood in suspended animation. And for a long moment, as if the vessel were posing for a picture, nothing happened.

Then the ocean opened her mouth wide and swallowed the ship as if it were a grain of sand.

**AN: Oh, look, another cliffhanger. Also, I'm (slightly more) sorry. But its only because I love these guys so much. *arms self in preparation* What'd you think?**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Just real quickly, I wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who left a lovely review on the last chapter. I've never had a response like that before and it truly overwhelmed me. This fandom is the best! Please enjoy this chapter. :) *hides behind table* Oh, and I'm sorry. Again.**

Chapter 6

Jason knew he was working with a very, very small window of operation, but upon reaching the hull, he realized little time meant no time. The waters were already flooding onto the second level, which only means the hull was already under water.

_Oh, no._

Bravo One did hear Bravo Three's request for aid in the hull, but that felt like hours ago, and it happened right before he lost comms. And with comms down, Jason was on his own, unable to communicate with Ray about his current status. He couldn't contact Sonny. And he didn't see Trent on his way down to the hull, so he has no idea what Four's status is at this point.

But if Quinn found Brock and Clay, then they were likely on the zodiac with Ray by now with Trent. They had to be.

Still, something told him to continue to the hull.

Something told him to check it out.

Just a quick search.

He didn't give it a second thought.

Unfortunately, Bravo was not prepared for a rescue of this level, meaning Jason did not have proper dive gear. Ray did pack rebreathers, so that would have to work. After securing everything in place, Hayes dives under the freezing waters and swims down the hall, looking in each room as he swam pass.

Hayes didn't see anything but destroyed areas and a few bodies that thankfully weren't his brothers. But looking through the two rooms took time he knew he didn't have, so Hayes quickened his strokes even more. His cracked ribs screamed at him as he pulled himself through the water, but he pushed the pain aside and kept going.

Upon coming up to the third room, something caught his eye. In the water, everything looked… odd. The broken ceiling pieces that floated in mid-water, the bits of debris he had to push out of his way as he swam in, that sight was the same as the two rooms prior.

Then he sees the figure, tied to a chair that is bolted to the floor.

Jason doesn't have to pause to know that's his brother. No situation or environment would ever lead him to question if the man _dying_ in front of him was Bravo Six.

If Clay wasn't dead already.

_No-_

One pulls out his knife and swims forward. He quickly cuts the rope around Six's ankles and wrists and arms, takes a split moment to look at the kid's face.

And his heart breaks.

Because Clay was just that.

A kid.

Bravo's kid.

The rumbling of the ship tears Jason from his thoughts. Even beneath the water, he could hear parts of the ship break apart as it continues its downward path to the ocean floor. It felt as though the current grew and he knew they both were using borrowed time.

Gripping tightly to Clay, Jason propels them out of the room and back into the hall. He goes by memory and quickly finds the second floor after swimming up the flight of steps. But the area that once was above water when Jason arrived no longer is.

Part of the ceiling slams into Jason's back, nearly knocks the rebeather from his mouth. A quick glance over his shoulder tells him the ship is sinking faster than he can swim them out to the open. That fact isn't going to stop him from trying.

Jason kicks his legs harder, pulls himself and Clay through the water as quick as he can manage. Even with the rebreather, his chest is burning. He doesn't even know how Clay is doing. He didn't have time to check Spenser's pulse when he first got to him, doesn't even know if the kid is even alive. Jason, hell all of Bravo, would never forgive themselves if Clay died like this.

But at least they got him.

That's what he told himself.

No man left behind.

No matter what.

Blackness began to encroach around Hayes' vision, even more so the tightness in his lungs and the white hot pain in his wounded side. Everything grew darker, tighter, with each passing second. Jason could only guess, but he had to be out of the ship's hold by now, had to be in open waters.

Just when it seemed the ocean would win and calm two SEALs for her own, Jason's head broke through the surface. He spits out the rebreather, coughed and gagged and sucked in rainy air as he pulled Clay up higher on his chest and began treading water.

Bravo One places a shaky hand to Six's neck, frantically searches for a pulse. He waits... for what felt like an eternity... but he felt it. It was there. Too weak and too slow, but by some mountain moving miracle, it was there.

Now that they were on the surface, Hayes looks around. The heavy rains made it hard to see but a couple feet in front of him, but he knew. The ship was gone. And he didn't see his brothers.

Unable to do much else in the moment, Hayes reaches up to the light attached to his vest and flicks it on. He hopes and prays Bravo sees it, comes for them quickly.

Because he isn't sure how long he'd be able to keep himself and Clay afloat.

#

Trent has seen a lot as medic for Bravo Team. Over his many years of service, he's worked on enemies, rescued hostages and of course his own brothers, both in the Navy and other military branches. He's worked on himself more times than not. He's talked the rest of the guys through field procedures numerous times. And he's worked in less than ideal environment conditions.

But this is... unlike anything he's ever faced.

The rough waters is making it nearly impossible to get a good look at Brock. Nearly. Bravo Five is propped upright against the side of the zodiac, trying his best to stay awake even through everything in his body is screaming at him to just go to sleep. By sheer determination (and a bit of stubbornness), Trent is able to give his friend a solid once over (given the circumstances) before he finally settles on the gash on Five's side.

"How bad?"

Trent doesn't bother looking up at Ray and instead runs through all of the supplies he needs. "He's lost too much blood. It's slowed, but… he's already well into septic shock."

Bravo Four pulls out gauze from multiple pockets, but they are soaked and useless before he even has time to place them to Brock's side. Ray notices this and springs into action. He grabs one of the bags from the second zodiac and removes a weather blanket, tucking it behind the canine handler and holds up the rest in the form of a makeshift tent.

Sawyer nods his thanks and sets to work on Brock. "Hey, brother." Four says as he sees Brock's eyes crack open.

A long second passes before he forces his head up to look at Trent, but Brock manages to cock a half smile after registering the figure in front of him as his friend. "Now I see why... Sonny hates water. It's a-awful. Go easy on him… did all he could for-" Brock's eyes drift shut as his head lulls to the side.

"Brock, you gotta stay awake! Keep talking, man, c'mon! Sonny, I need more light over here!" Four shouts over the storm as he tries to wake Five and work at the same time.

A few seconds pass and nothing happens. Trent spares a glance to his left and he is welcomed with the sight he's seen before. A sight he knows all too well.

Even with the raging storm, the empty look in Quinn's glassy eyes is the only indicator Trent needs to know that something happened on the ship.

The thousand yard stare doesn't just pop up out of the blue for no reason.

"Ray-"

"I've got you." Ray turns on a light and holds it up for Trent with one hand while still holding the end of the blanket with the other. After making sure Trent is keeping as dry as he can, Ray then turns to Sonny and tries to get him to open up. "Sonny? Sonny, brother, talk to me. Bravo Three?"

Sonny blinks water from his eyes. And there is no way to tell if it is tears, rainwater, from the ocean or a mixture of all three. He can hear Ray talking to him. He knows Trent asked him a question. But the only thing he can think about is how he failed his brother. In Clay's time of need, he let him down.

In the worst possible way.

There is no way around that fact.

"Its... my fault." Sonny finally says. "He told me to get Brock… but I was… I was right there, and-" his voice hitches slightly, he blinks and lowers his head. "I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have left him like that. Why did I-"

The news hits Ray like a truck. Even if Sonny wasn't making much sense, it was obvious.

Sonny had to choose between saving Brock and Clay.

And the youngest member of Bravo made it for him.

"Hey, brother…" Ray forces out something of comfort, though he isn't sure his words will offer such a thing. So he says the words Bravo Three told him, what was it, mere hours ago? "Whatever happened… you did all you could, okay? You… you can't blame yourself."

Sonny doesn't add anything to that.

Ray waits a beat, checks on how Trent is doing with Brock, then adds, "Get a blanket, try to rest up. Don't know how long we'll be out here."

Quinn nods, moves on autopilot. He somehow makes his way to the stern of the first zodiac, is reaching for a bag in the second zodiac when he sees a blinking light, not too far off in the distance. He wipes more water from his eyes, waits… yep, its real.

"Guys!"

Ray and Trent look over at Sonny's shout, preparing for the worst, but by then Three is already at the controls and turning the boat towards the signal.

"What is it?" Ray fights to keep himself steady as the zodiac cuts through the crashing waves. He does all he can to keep Trent and Brock somewhat dry, but doing so is a moot point. Perry takes a knee and holds on to the side of the boat, waits for Sonny to tell them what he saw.

Then the image of their leader comes into view.

Even with the rough weather, there was no mistaking the blinking light attached to Jason's vest. Or how Bravo One is clinging to the still figure of Bravo Six, their heads dipping beneath the crashing waves that continued to roll. Quinn reacts, ignoring his own safety as he leans over the side of the boat and grabs onto Hayes like a lifeline.

Trent tells Ray that he can manage for the time being, so Two jumps up and helps pull Jason and Clay into the boat.

The two men drop aboard in a heap, waterlogged and motionless. Ray pulls Jason off of Clay, runs his hands over his best friend's body, searching for any new wounds, but coming up empty. Next, he checks his vitals.

"His breathing is wet and ragged. Probably swallowed a lot of water. His ribs are broken now, too." says Ray as he looks Hayes over again, this time with a light. Something catches his eyes, and after wiping water away, they go wide. "Trent, his lips are blue."

"Get a blanket and-"

Just then, Jason starts moving. He furrows his brows in pain, claws at his chest as he mumbles incoherently.

"Jase, stop moving. I've got you, brother. I've got you." Ray tries to let Jason know he was there for him, but One doesn't appear to have heard his words.

Jason continues to mutter, tries to fold in on himself, but quickly changes his mind and stretches his limbs out. Ray picks up on the strange behavior, looks over at their medic who is attentively looking over Five. He knows basic first aid. All of Bravo does. But this is different. Something worse. Something he can't see. Ray thinks he can keep Jason stable until Trent can come and check One over himself when-

"Trent..." Ray says after his light flashes over a small rash on Hayes' neck that was not there thirty seconds ago. Then Jason starts thrashing around the boat. "He's going into shock!"

Bravo Four looks at Jason, mentally runs through the list of symptoms he notices. His heart drops slightly.

Because if it is what he thinks it is, then he doesn't have the gear to treat Jason long term.

And there's no way of knowing when the storm will end.

Or when exfil can get to them.

"Grab the other oxygen tank. Get him hooked up!" Trent only packed two oxygen tanks, and he was in the middle of hooking Brock up to the first one. If Jason did have decompression sickness, then these next few minutes would let them know if he would have an actual fighting chance or not.

"Is this gonna be enough?" Ray asks as he works on removing the tank from a bag and getting it hooked up to Jason. "Trent, is it?"

He doesn't know.

"Let me know when his breathing improves."

_If_ his breathing improves.

In the building chaos, Trent has been pulled between keeping Brock stable and making sure Jason stays alive long enough to get proper care for the bends. He's often had to pull double (or triple) duty in the field, so working on multiple people at the same time was not new to him. However, the presence and current status of Bravo Six was the least of his worries as Bravo Three seemed to have things under control.

Until things _weren't_ under control.

"Trent! He ain't breathin'!"

**AN: *from a comfy spot behind my table* I know, another cliffy. But I really can't help myself (sometimes).**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: *sitting on top of table* New chapter time. I really struggled with this one, so I hope you all like it.**

Chapter 7

It was as if the world stopped moving. The storm faded away, the jolting of the zodiac vanished, even the presence of his brothers… all of it was gone as soon as he pulled the kid into the boat.

Sonny was on a never-ending roller coaster of emotion. He was so broken up at the choice he had to made - _The choice Clay made for me._ \- that he didn't even think to say goodbye as he swam away. He didn't think of how Bravo wouldn't be able to bury their brother's body because the sea swallowed him whole.

The only thing that was on his mind was his own failure.

It engulfed him.

It ate at him.

But then he spotted Jason's light.

And suddenly, the weight of failure was lifted, subsequently replaced with dread as Sonny pulled the men into the boat and began to check Clay over with aid from his own light.

Bravo Three first notices his uniform, how the fabric across his upper right arm is torn and stained with blood. Upon closer look, he saw multiple cuts on his shoulder, red and angry around the edges. His shoulder is clearly dislocated. He takes note of the cut on Clay's lip and turns his attention to checking the rest of the kid. Next he runs his hands over Clay's torso, finds deep bruises blossoming over his side.

That's when reality hits because, Sonny realizes, as he is searching Clay for injuries, that Spenser's chest is not raising.

Or falling.

"Trent! He ain't breathin'!" Bravo Three yells frantically.

Bravo Four's head snaps up. Thankfully the rain has lessened ever so slightly, so it was easier to see Clay's prone figure as Sonny was administering CPR. Which was no small task to do in a zodiac with six SEALs in the middle of a storm. The image itself was enough to make Trent realize he had a difficult choice to make, no time to make it in.

Because three of his brothers needed oxygen.

And he only had two tanks.

Ray had already hooked Jason up to the second tank, was hoping the flow of oxygen would be enough to stabilize their leader. Having paused when he heard Clay's condition, Trent still wasn't finished with Brock. If he had just thought to bring manual oxygen bags or even proper dive gear, he could use it to-

"I'm good, Trent."

Trent turns back to Brock who is barely awake. "No, you aren't! You've gone septic and your lungs sound awful and-"

"Clay… he needs it more than I do." Brock coughs, takes a shaky breath in a meager effort to prove to the medic he could breathe well enough on his own. He crosses his arm weakly around his waist, holds the bandage tight to his side. "I wouldn't be here… if it weren't for him."

Trent pauses, nods, finally accepting the reason from Five. "Sonny, I need you to switch with me so I can-"

"Hell no! I ain't leaving him again!"

Sawyer can't even be mad as Quinn's outburst, but a deep sigh escapes his mouth regardless. Clay needs Trent's medical knowledge right now, but the medic isn't ready to leave Brock alone. And Sonny needs to step back, clear his mind before his emotions get in the way or make things worse.

Just for a little bit.

The idle zodiac hits a large wave, and the oxygen tank in Trent's hand nearly goes overboard. "Sonny-!"

"No, Trent! Just talk me through it and I'll-"

Another wave crashes into the boats, drowning out Sonny's words. Trent knew they didn't have time to argue, so he relented slightly, opting to help Sonny and steer him in the right direction regarding how to care for Spenser. Trent would be real quick, then he'd get back to taking care of his friend. After looking at Brock and making sure he wasn't going anywhere, Four crawls over to Sonny and Clay, works on hooking the kid up to the oxygen tank while Three continues CPR.

"Hey, Ray? How're Jase's vitals?" he says as a clap of thunder echoes in the sky.

"Think they're holding steady, but the rash is getting worse and it spread to his arms." replies Bravo Two. "He's still unconscious."

"Okay... okay, just keep the mask on and try to keep water from getting into his nose and mouth." Trent checks Clay over and spares a quick glance at Brock. "Ray, you gotta wake him."

"I've been trying, Trent. Nothings working. He won't-"

"Well _keep trying_, dammit! If you can't wake him up now then he may not wake up later!" Trent doesn't bother to look up to see if Ray acted on his warning. Instead the medic turned his split attention to Spenser, expertly sliding the kid's shoulder back into its rightful socket. Then he worked on covering the gashes on Clay's shoulder best he could.

"Sonny, stop for a sec." Trent waits for Quinn to do as he said, then leans down close to Clay's mouth. It was hard to hear, but Clay was breathing again, though it was very labored and clearly caused the kid pain. After giving Spenser a shot of antibiotics, Sawyer adds, "Keep the mask over his mouth and let me know the second anything changes."

Bravo Four is tired. He's being pulled in multiple directions, is caring for three injured brothers, is trying to make sure one doesn't go off the emotional deep end, and is trying to keep the other from second guessing himself any further. Still he keeps working. Trent tires to keep the status of Clay, Brock and Jason straight in his mind as he bounces around from one to another to the other.

Tries to make sure that he can keep everyone alive long enough for exfil to come for them.

As time goes on, the storm weakens bit by bit. First the rain lessens to a steady drizzle, then the waves decrease in size, but not by much. Thunder and lightning eventually fade off in the distance.

"Trent?"

Trent hesitantly looks up from checking Jason's vitals and over to Brock, who has now slumped over to the side. "Yeah?"

"Somethings… wrong."

_Oh, no._ "Wrong how?"

"Chest… is tight. 'm really cold."

Trent scrambles back over to Brock's side, places two fingers to his neck. His worry increases as he checks the wound. A string of expletives escape his mouth.

"That… bad?"

"No."

Yes.

Trent shakes his head, shoves his hands into his pockets in search for the dose of antibiotics he'd forgotten to give Brock. He curses himself for letting something so _easy_ as giving Brock a shot slip his mind. "Just hold tight, brother. I'm gonna give you some antibiotics. Should help some."

"Okay."

Bravo Four finally pulls out the small vial of antibiotics from his pants pocket. He quickly brings it up to his mouth and uncaps it with his teeth, then none to gently stabs the needle into Five.

"Is now a bad time… to tell you I hate needles?" Brock tries to say with a bit of laughter, which only sends him into a coughing fit.

Trent, against his better judgement, helps Brock sip a little water. He wipes some blood away from Brock's mouth as he thinks, _The jokes have to be a good sign, right?_ "I'll file that away for next time."

Ideally, Brock and Spenser would have gotten the antibiotics right away, but… that did not happen. Sawyer knew their chances of surviving septic shock decreases with each hour that passes. It's been hours and Brock was still on the decline. And Spenser… it didn't look good.

Still, Trent had to try. He had to give his friends-his brothers-a fighting chance.

"Trent… 'm still cold." mutters Brock. His eyes are closed, and he's forcing the words out through struggled breaths of air. "Colder… than before."

_Nonononono._ Trent gently moves Brock's hand to his lap and carefully pulls away the blood and water soaked gauze that was all but plastered to his side. Sawyer tries not to gasp as he looks at the wound, at the fresh puddle of blood that pooled around his knees with the rain and seawater. _How could I forget to close this up?!_

Sawyer frantically searched his pockets and his bag with his left hand, while trying to keep what little bit of blood Brock has left from spilling onto the zodiac with his right. It felt as if centuries had passed, but he finally gripped the all too familiar tool.

"Keep talking to me, man. Keep talking." Trent feels as though he is talking to himself, mostly because Brock has gone eerily quiet. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon."

Brock takes a slow, shaky breath in, winces as he exhales. "Tired,"

_Please, no. Please, no._ "I know, buddy. I know. I'm sorry, just keep talking."

"Trent, Jason still won't wake up. I've tried everything." says Ray, momentarily breaking Four from his task at hand. "Trent?"

He can't forget about Brock. Not again.

"Just a minute," Four clears the rags away, positions the tool over Brock's side.

Next Sonny shouts over a crashing wave, "Clay's running a fever! Trent, what do I do now?"

"Just a minute!" Trent shouts. Just as he is about to pinch the stapler down around Brock's wound, a large wave raises above the two boats and slams into it and the men without warning. The tool flies out of Sawyer's hand and sails over the side of the boat as he grabs onto his friend and holds on for both of their lives. After a moment passes, Trent looks up and over to the rest of Bravo.

Brock is still held tight to his chest. Sonny is spitting out water while holding onto both Clay and Jason, who are still unconscious. But Ray is nowhere to be seen.

"Ray?" Trent pans his light over the boat, repeats his actions when his search comes up empty the first and second time. "Ray!"

Bravo Four pans around, searching the surrounding waters. He shouts out, but the waves make it impossible to hear anything clearly. Not waiting to believe this is happening-after everything they just endured-Trent sinks back onto his heels and lowers his head.

"Trent!"

Trent looks over to the second zodiac, is amazed at the sight of Ray holding onto the side with one hand. He starts to make his way over when Bravo Two waves him back.

"I'm good." Perry is clearly struggling to pull himself into the small boat. Trent will have to check on him what he finds a way to close Brock's wound. "I'm good, man. But Jase-"

"Yeah, I've got him."

Even with the storm slowly passing, Bravo is still up a creek without a paddle. Ray manages to pull himself into the second boat, but the rough waters make it impossible to get back to the first without going overboard again. This means Sonny has to make sure both Clay and Jason are still breathing in through the oxygen masks.

Trent forces himself to focus on one problem at a time. Currently, that is keeping Brock somewhat stable. Stapling the wound was no longer an option. Attempting to stitch it closed would likely cause more damage, even if Trent did trust his normally steady hands in the middle of a storm. The only thing he could do was pack the wound best he could, and try to keep it dry.

He works quickly, grabbing as much gauze he could. Using the weather blanket as a shield to keep the splashing water at bay, Trent packs the gash, careful of the metal shard still inside, then proceeds to wrap it as tight as he dare. Panic bubbles inside as Brock doesn't even make a sound. Feeling defeated, and realizing he's done all he can, Trent turns his attention back to Jason.

"Have you noticed anything?"

"The rash he's got don't look friendly." Sonny tells the medic. Getting out of the way is nearly impossible, so he just remains where he's at and lets Trent work on checking Jason over. "How is he, really?"

"The oxygen is helping, but... it isn't a solution."

"And the kid?" Sonny needed to hear the words from Trent's mouth, even if it were for his own comfort. But Sonny knew better, just like Trent would never lie about something serious.

"Other than his dislocated shoulder, the cuts are infected. He's got deep bruising all over which could be problematic, but… I'm worried about how long he went without oxygen."

Sonny glances down at Clay. "Why?"

Trent can't think of a straight answer. There are too many possibilities.

_Asphyxia._

_Hypoxia._

_Hypoxic hypoxia._

_Cerebral hypoxia._

_Latent Hypox-_

"I don't know."

"Okay. Well, maybe he held his breath the whole time. You know, turned to his training until Jase got to him."

Maybe?

"I don't know, Sonny."

"But, he's gonna be fine. They're all gonna be fine, right?"

Trent doesn't get a chance to reply as the sound of their radios cracking to life fills the windy air.

_"HAVOC base to any Bravo call sign, come in. Over."_

**AN: Poor... everyone. Why am I so mean to them? (I totally know the answer to that question)**

**So this is kinda a cliffhanger, but its a happy cliffhanger. The end is near, so let me know what you think. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: And it's time for a new chapter! As always, thanks so much for your love and support on this story. Hopefully I've reached the point where all the cliffhangers I've thrown you down turned out to be worth it (ie it's kinda dark under my table ;p ). Enjoy!  
**

Chapter 8

_"HAVOC base to any Bravo call sign, come in. Over."_

Relief washes over Trent like one of the many waves they've already crashed through. He wants to cry. A real, honest to God sob of joy, but he doesn't. He just has to keep it together.

"Bravo Four to HAVOC base. I read you."

_"Copy, Bravo Four. Damn, it's good to hear your voice."_

"Yeah, likewise, Blackburn."

_"The storm is moving, so we'll be able to get exfil up and out to your current pos. What's Bravo's status?"_

Trent leaves no detail out as he fills Eric in on the situation. The medic informs the commander how bad Jason, Brock and Clay are and what medical arrangements needed to be at the ready when they land. Sonny helps with anything he missed or forgot, and after a long pause, Eric's voice comes through the radio once again. After ordering Bravo to turn on their strobes so they can be located, Blackburn says, _"We're on our way."_

"Copy that, HAVOC. Bravo Four out."

To pass the time, Trent and Sonny prepped the wounded for transportation (as best they could), while Ray stood by, ready to grab anything they may need from the gear bags. The weather was slowly turning for the better as the clouds gave way to the sun as it began its descent across the horizon. And even though the waves were still rough, things appeared to be looking up.

The cut on Trent's arm was beginning to make itself known, throbbing something fierce the longer Sawyer ignored it. Not to mention he was freezing. They were all probably on the verge of hypothermia, if not something worse in half of their cases. But help was coming. That's what they held onto. The half of them that were conscious anyway.

When Trent asked Ray how he was faring, Bravo Two replied he swallowed some water, but was otherwise okay. The medic also kept a close watch over Sonny, who silently bounced back and forth between Jason and Clay. Brock's breathing was slowly getting worse, but Trent had no way of helping him until exfil arrived.

No sooner than the waves began to grow in size again, the blessed sound of a chopper approaching filled the air.

Trent told Ray to go first so he could help pull their brothers into the safety of the aircraft. Once Bravo Two was hoisted into the hovering chopper, Trent and Sonny focused on getting Brock into the rescue basket, followed by Clay and finally Jason.

It took a long time. Loading the rescue basket, waiting for the exfil team to unload their brothers into the chopper and to send the basket back down, but they were nearly finished.

Once Jason, Brock and Clay were in the safety of the chopper, Trent helped Sonny into a harness. He had just secured the harness around Quinn's waist when a wave began to tower over them. It was high enough to threaten the chopper. Trent waved the pilot away no sooner than he tightened the last strap, hoping they would pull back before the water dragged them down into a watery grave.

Right when it appeared the wall of water would crash into them all, the chopper jerks up and out of the way. Four, still in the zodiac, is not so fortunate as the wave slams into him instead. Sonny screams, but his words are drowned out by the water crashing below him.

Sawyer feels the water wrap tight around his body as he is pulled down into its depths. He spins and flips, can't tell if he is being pulled up or down. Something slams into him once, twice, as his vision darkens. And just when his body began to relax, deprived of oxygen, he surfaces.

"I've got you, brother."

Trent coughs, lifts his tired head as Sonny and one of the men from the exfil team pulled him into the safety of the aircraft. He can only manage a weak nod as he lets his body fall back against the side of the chopper as they are flown back to base.

The medic in him turns an attentive eye to his brothers, to the men under his medical care, and wonders if he did all he could. He should probably jump in, help the other guys out, let them know his field diagnosis… but Bravo Four is tired. So, he stays out of the way, holds his numb arm close to his waist.

Trent doesn't remember closing his eyes.

#

**Base (Sweet, Solid Ground)**

Lt. Commander Eric Blackburn (impatiently) waited for the chopper with his men to land. Waited for word on their condition, all while Brass waited to see if the rescue provided them with anything other than the relatively safe return of two of their tier one operators.

When he got word from the co-pilot they were heading back to base, Eric let out a sigh of relief, though he knows they are not out of the woods (or waters) yet. From what Trent told him, Jason, Clay and Brock were in rough shape.

He just didn't realize how rough until they were wheeled past him.

Blackburn sees Hayes first, quickly followed by Spenser and Reynolds. They were all wrapped tightly in emergency blankets on stretchers, had piles of medical gear surrounding them as they were pushed to the medical wing of base. The remaining members of Bravo trickled in, each looking worse for wear in their own way.

Ray was a bit pale, shivering through a blanket that was wrapped tight around his shoulders. He appeared to be uninjured, but not completely there either. Sonny looked distant, eyes tracking his brothers as they vanished behind a set of doors. He had a blanket as well, but he didn't attempt to use it, so it hug limply around his slouched shoulders. Finally, Trent came into view. Eric could tell he was hurting, but the medic made no effort to seek out any care other than his own blanket.

As their commander, Eric has to keep a certain distance. But as a friend, as close as a friend he can be given their respective positions, he wants to offer comfort in some other way. A firm nod will have do for now.

"You all need to get checked out. Rest up, get some food and fluids in you." says Blackburn.

As expected, he is met with resistance.

Not able to understand a word coming from Two, Three or Four, Eric holds up a hand and patiently waits for the men to settle down. "I mean it. We'll talk once your all settled."

Perry nods his head first, not liking the way his chest feels after swallowing seawater. He saunters off to find a nurse, some dry clothes and a bed. Sonny turns to leave, but he does not follow Ray. Instead, he heads for the room where the doctors are working on his brothers.

"Quinn-"

"No, I… I just need to see 'em."

Eric raises a brow at Trent, silently asking what Bravo Three meant by that. When Sawyer just shook his head, Blackburn continues. "Later. You need to get yourself checked out first. I'll wait for word on the guys, keep you all up to date."

It didn't seem like that would be enough to convince Sonny to get checked out, but it was. As Quinn leaves, Eric turns to Bravo's medic. He couldn't tell where Trent was hurting, but it appeared to be equally physical, mental and emotional.

"You too, Trent."

"Nah, I'm okay." Before Eric can make the same argument, the medic has already disappeared behind the doors.

#

After Sonny got the all clear from a nurse, showered and ate a couple bites of a sandwich, he quickly sought out the doctors who were caring for his brothers. However, finding answers regarding their status is about as easy as finding water in the Sahara Desert.

Instead of locating what he really wanted, he came up on Trent who was tying bandages around his arm.

"Where're the guys? No one is telling me a damn thing."

Trent spares a glance at his brother, understanding the emotional high Bravo Three must still be coming down from. He just needs time to cool off. "Give me a sec."

Sonny sighs, waits a second and adds, "A nurse could've done that."

"They have their hands full." Trent secures the bandages and cleans up his small mess. "You good?"

_Deflection. Great._ "Yeah. A little dehydrated so I was told to drink..." he shakes a half empty bottle of something green. "I don't know what this is."

Trent makes a face, sighs as he is not surprised. "You probably should be on an IV."

"They tried. But I don't need another reason to be kept in a room." Sonny looks around the small area, notices something is amiss. "Where's Ray?" he asks, worry building in his chest at the thought of another team member going down.

Trent coughs, clears his throat. "Uh, he swallowed a bit of water. Docs are observing him, don't want pneumonia sneaking up."

"Okay." Quinn pauses. "And the guys? C'mon, Trent, give it to me straight."

_Shit._

Trent wasn't ready for this. He was really tired, his arm really hurt, and he really wanted to sleep. "They're stable."

Jason did have decompression sickness. The doctors were keeping him on 100% oxygen until they could get him to one of their hospitals that had a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for proper treatment. On top of the injuries he sustained prior to the rescue op, they also had to keep an eye on the rash that had developed around his torso, arms and neck. It was hard to tell if the oxygen was actually helping… they'd just have to wait and see.

Clay was showing signs of hypoxic hypoxia, and doctors were also worried about the infection that had developed in his shoulder. Six's shoulder was out of place for no one knows how long, and the damage done was significant but surgery for that would have to wait. He also had a slow internal bleed that was causing collective worry to grow as it showed no signs of fixing itself. Even after all he's been through, he was still fighting, so that was a good sign.

Brock, for as long as he held on, couldn't keep it up once he was aboard the chopper. He lost a lot of blood. The gash on his right side (coupled with the metal still embedded in the SEAL) commanded the most attention, with the infection threatening to enter his weakened bloodstream. He also developed pneumonia in his left lung and was showing signs of it developing in his right lung. It was touch and go, but Brock was strong. He just had to be strong for a while longer.

Blackburn was still fielding calls on locating a hospital that was relatively close and would be able to care for all of his men's needs.

After Trent fills him in, Sonny brings the bottle of mystery liquid to his mouth but he can't bring himself to drink. Instead he asks, "Are they gonna-"

Sawyer interrupts Three before the Texan can finish his thought. "They're tough. They're tough."

Just then, Eric steps halfway into the room. "Good news. We landed on a hospital that has everything we need. Wheels up in ten minutes."

**AN: I think I'm done with the hurt portion of this fic, so the next chapter is full of the recovery bits.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: So this chapter really got out of hand (which happens more times than not with me). And I know its long, but breaking it up really messed with the flow, so I hope you don't mind this emotional roller-coaster. As always, thanks for the love and support. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

The flight to the hospital wasn't all that long. But to three members of Bravo, it felt like a lifetime.

As soon as they arrived, Jason was quickly whisked away to the hyperbaric chamber, while Clay and Brock were taken into surgery. The respective doctor for each SEAL wouldn't say what their chances were. The best everyone could do was wait and hope for the best.

Perry developed a mild case of pneumonia, and the doctors wanted to admit him for further treatment, but he refused to do anything that required him to be away from his brothers. In the end, he was given antibiotics and told not to leave the waiting room chair. Ray didn't think he could, even if he wanted to.

Sonny was a ball of nerves and he was not hiding it well. He constantly tapped his foot if he were seated, and if he paced, he paced loudly. He never stayed in one place for long. He couldn't sleep. Blackburn thought about asking a nurse to give him a sedative or a dose of Nyquil, but he knew Quinn would never forgive him if he missed any news about the status of injured his brothers.

Trent fell into a silence that would rival a certain canine handler. He walled himself off from the others, hardly said two words as he mostly slept in restless micro-sessions. If someone asked a medical question relating to any injuries Jason, Brock or Clay sustained, Trent would mutter something along the lines of "don't know" and then try to get back to something that resembled sleep. The others noticed Four had a persistent cough that sounded worse the longer they waited but they knew there was no way he would get it looked at now. Not when they were in the mist of the unknown.

Time is not something the men easily kept track of, so when the doctors came into the waiting room, they aren't really sure how long they've been sitting in those uncomfortable chairs. Everyone looks up with tired eyes, but when they receive the news, the mood shifts.

Jason was responding well to treatment. Brock and Clay made it through their respective surgeries. The next couple days would tell the doctors a lot, but things were good.

Visitors were allowed once One, Five and Six were settled into their rooms, so the team decided to split up in an effort to divide and conquer. Ray went to see his best friend, while Trent went to face the man who nearly died because of his mistakes, leaving Sonny to see the kid.

It was hard, seeing the man he abandoned laid up in the hospital. Machines beeped and whizzed around him. Sonny could barely set foot into the room. But he did, took a seat right by the bed, and reached out to make sure that he was really here. And he was.

"Oh, Clay. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

#

In the following days that passed after surgeries and treatment, the rest of Bravo traded off on sitting with their brothers. No one argued when Sonny stayed the longest with Clay. No one questioned the Texas as to what his one sided conversations might entail.

Sonny sipped on a cup of coffee-wishing it were something a bit stronger-as he filled a (still) unconscious Clay on notable events he had missed thus far. After awhile, he trailed off, set his cup down on a nearby table, and just stared at the kid. In a totally not creepy way.

"You know, I hate you right now, Spenser. I mean it." he starts, as the emotions he's been avoiding the past few days spill out. "I was put into a terrible position, tryin' to rescue you and Brock's scrawny ass's in the middle of a storm and you... you just had to make it worse. And I would do it again… not jus' cuz its the job, but cuz I love you. _Both_ of you. You're my brothers. And brothers shouldn't have to choose between saving one or the other."

Sonny wipes his eyes as tears begin to streak down into his beard before he goes on, "What I don't get is… why you would tell me to get Brock, when I was right by you? I was _right_ in front of you, Spenser and Brock was-" Sonny stops again, not wanting to mention how close to death Brock looked at the moment. Still, the fact remains. "You made me leave you. You should've died… and that would've been on me. I jus don't get it, Clay, I really don't. What happened to savin' the life you can save? Huh? Why would you do that to me?"

A couple more hours pass and Bravo Three sits in silence. He listens to the steady beeping of the machines, watches Clay's chest rise and fall. The sun lights up the room at early morning drags on, but by then, Quinn has drifted off to sleep.

Clay comes to still trapped in a fog. He recognized what he is looking at when his tired eyes finally open, but his brain can't come up with the words. He looks around, trying to get his brain on track, when he sees Sonny sprawled out in a chair. He has a blanket tossed over him and his lucky Texas hat sits on his lap. Spenser isn't sure how long he stared at his brother, but eventually, Quinn's eyes opened and landed on the SEAL in bed.

"Clay!" Sonny gets to his feet, is by the side of the bed in a second. "Clay, oh thank God, you're awake."

Clay nods, though it seems to cause him a bit of pain. Sonny reaches for the button that controls the kid's painkillers, but aforementioned kid stops him. "B-Brock?"

"He's alive, jus down the hall."

Spenser looks around the room, notices that Sonny is the only Bravo member present. "The g-guys?"

"Slow your roll, Sleeping Beauty. Ima go get your doc and they'll look you over. Then I'll fill you in later."

Sonny's voice made it sound like he missed a lot, so Clay resigns slightly a nods. When Three turns to leave the room, Clay speaks up, a question that floats around in his head was demanding to be answered.

"Sonny?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Do you really hate me?"

_Shit_. "You heard that?"

Spenser tries to shrugs, stops when pain flares up in his shoulder. "I heard… something. Thought I was dreaming."

"No, I don't hate you. I hate a lot of things that happened… but I could never hate you." Sonny pauses, clears the lump that was forming in his throat. "We'll talk more after the doc checks you out. 'Kay?"

Bravo Six watches Three leave the room, but by the time his brother returns with a doctor and a nurse, he's already fallen asleep.

#

He tried everything.

The couch, the cot, the recliner, the folding chair that was tucked in the corner. He tried with and without a pillow, with and without a blanket. He even tried one of Sonny's moves by pulling something down over his eyes, but no matter how hard he tried or how damn tired he was, Trent just couldn't sleep.

The hours ticked by, late evening when his shift in Brock's room started slowly turned into early morning. Trent finally got settled in a chair, pulled a blanket across his legs to keep the chill at bay. His cough was still lingering, but he was managing since he didn't want to leave Brock alone to get something for it.

He looks at his watch: _1:47am_.

So there he sat, watching his brother fight for his life. Sure, the doctors said that he was out of the thick of the woods now, but it's been four days, was pushing five days and the SEAL had yet to wake up.

And that worried Trent.

Yes, Brock needed time to recover from the trauma he endured, but how much time does that _actually_ translate to?

When Brock's doctor broke down the injuries Reynolds sustained, Trent was told that everything he did in the field, no matter how small it may have seemed at the time, bought his brother enough time to get the proper care he desperately needed. Same for what he did for Jason and Clay. Sawyer saved their lives, but he couldn't bring himself to believe such things.

Not when his best friend is laying across from him.

He flashes back to his mistakes. Forgetting to give him antibiotics. Forgetting to staple his wound closed. Sure, hindsight tells him he probably shouldn't have done that anyway, seeing as there was still a piece of metal embedded in Brock's side… but there was so much blood. And he was so pale… dying right in front of him...

Trent tries to sleep, but his efforts yield the same results. He coughs again, looks at the clock. It's only been three minutes.

"Trying to... sleep over here."

Bravo Four's eyes snap open and quickly land on the figure in bed. His heart breaks, but in a good way, as he sees Brock's half opened eyes staring at him. "Hey, man."

"Hey."

"How're you feeling?" Trent doesn't trust himself to stand just yet, so he leans forward in his chair and eagerly awaits an answer.

"Like… shit."

"Yeah, I bet you do."

Brock cracks a small smile, hoping is doesn't hurt too much. When he opens his eyes a little wider, he looks at Trent, asks, "Is… is Clay-"

"He's down the hall. Alive, asking how you are."

"And the guys? Are you all-" Brock wasn't sure what to ask, so he just trailed off.

Trent cough again, sits back in his chair. "Little beat up, but alive all the same."

That is enough to get Five to relax. He closes his eyes again, adds, "You should… you should get that cough looked at."

Sawyer wasn't Bravo's leader, but he was very protective of them, and not always in the capacity of being their medic. And maybe he really did all he could. Maybe he didn't fail his brothers after all.

#

Eventually, Sonny decided he should give the others time to sit with Clay. He wanted to see Jason and Brock with his own eyes anyway, so he bids the sleeping kid farewell, promises to return soon and heads down the hall.

He comes up on Jason's room first, but upon seeing Ray sound asleep on a cot, he continued walking to Brock's room. Once there, he sees the same picture as before, except Trent is resting in a chair. Sonny figured it would be best to leave, but Trent must have felt him standing in the doorway because he slowly sits up and waves him in.

"How is he?"

"Still improving. The pneumonia is clearing and his infection is finally responding to treatment." says Trent through another coughing spell. "He woke up a few minutes ago… sorry I didn't come get you."

"Don't worry about it." he points over his shoulder. "The kid is asking about him."

"Yeah, I got your message. How is Spenser?"

"Seems to be on the up and up."

"Okay. I'm, uh, gonna go check on Ray and Jason." Trent slowly stands up, but wavers enough to where he has to sit back down to regain his equilibrium. "In a couple minutes."

""You should get someone to look you over. And before you object, I've seen you avoiding the nurses and doctors. That cough you got is worse and you can barely stay awake." Quinn says with a hint of worry. Then he adds, "I'm worried."

"I'm fi-"

"I mean it, Trent. A shower and self-treatment isn't enough this go 'round, not after what we just went through." Sonny says impatiently. "Look, I know I ain't got your medical knowledge, but trust me when I say this-and I mean it with Texas sized love, which is really big by the way-but you look like shit. And you need to get checked out."

_Why does everyone keep saying that?_ Trent stares at Sonny for a long time, before his coughing breaks him of his trance. He sighs deeply, somehow works up the energy to push himself to his feet.

If he were being honest, he would say Sonny was right. He didn't feel great, but his tired mind was so muddled he couldn't figure out the reason. Normally that would cause the medic to worry, as he had a habit of self-diagnosing. But the only reason he avoided the doctors and nurses was because he needed to know Jason, Brock and Clay would be okay. Even now that they were settled into their own rooms recovering, Trent couldn't bring himself to leave.

"They nearly died because of me." he says as he looks at Brock's prone figure. Bravo Five's color had returned, but Four couldn't get the image of how pale Reynolds was… or how Jason refused to wake up… or how Clay struggled to breathe. "I should have done better. It's my job to keep everyone on Bravo-"

"Alive? Yeah, buddy, you did that. When Ray and I were out of our minds, you stepped up and helped them when they needed you." Sonny steps forward, places a comforting hand on Trent's shoulder. "Now it's time to take care of yourself."

Sawyer lifts his head. "But-"

"I swear, Trent, if you don't go find a nurse, I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you down there myself."

"Okay." says Trent as he gives in. "Keep an eye on him?"

"You know it. I'll tell Blackburn to sit with Clay. They aren't alone, don't worry." Sonny says with a nod towards the door. "Go look after yourself for once. We ain't going anywhere."

It took some time, but Trent willed his body to move towards the door. He shuffled out into the hall in search of a nurse or doctor. Knowing that his brother's weren't alone is the only reason he felt at ease.

#

The familiar sound of beeping, the smell of cleanliness, is what finally draws him from the depths of darkness. It's quite, which is nice because his head hurt something awful. But when he finally opens his eyes, sees that he isn't alone, suddenly the pain isn't that bad.

Slumped in a chair within arms reach is Bravo Two. He is breathing deeply, and his face twitches every now and then. Jason doesn't want to wake his friend, and tries to go back to sleep himself, but a wince escapes his mouth as he moves his arm.

Ray sits up, probably a little too quickly, at the sound of something moving in from of him. When his groggy eyes land on Hayes, he stands to his feet and presses the button to release another dose of pain medicine for him.

A few seconds pass and the creases across Jason's face even out as the pain becomes manageable. He scans the room again and his eyes land on Ray. "You look awful."

Ray chuckles, slides the button closer to Jase for the next time he needs it. "Sounds about right. It's damn good to see you awake, man."

"How… how long?" Jason says slowly, sinking deeper into the pillow.

"Uh.. five days?"

Something between a groan and a mumble spills out of Jason's dry mouth. Ray holds up a cup with a straw, tells him to sip the water slowly before he sets it down and takes a seat. "You had us worried, Jase. Like, really worried. I'm pretty sure you gave Blackburn a few more grey hairs."

Bravo One looks around the room again, notices that Ray is the only team member present. His body tenses up as he asks, "The guys? Brock and Clay? Are they-" the countless machines Jason is hooked up to start beeping as he tries to sit up. Ray acts quickly, placing a hand on Hayes's shoulder right as a couple nurses comes in to check on things.

"They're alive. We got Brock and Clay, but…" he trailed off, not wanting to overload Jason so soon after waking up. "Everyone has a long road ahead of them."

Jason didn't like the sound of that, didn't know what it means. Ray tells him his team is alive, but that's a loaded answer. The image of finding Clay, tied to that chair… he needed to see the kid for himself. He needed to see them all, just to put his mind at ease.

"I know that look, and the answer is no."

"I didn't say anything."

"You don't need to say anything because I know you, Jase." Ray sits back in the chair. Still getting over his mild case of pneumonia, he really just wants to sleep until they can get back to the States, then probably sleep some more once there. In his own bed. "Just take it easy right now, okay?"

Jason makes a face, but drops it for now.

Drowsiness begins to encroach upon him again, and Jason can't help but scold at the nurses who were just now leaving his room. But sleep sounded real nice, so he isn't going to hold it against them. This time.

"Hey, Ray?" mumbles Hayes as he rests his head back.

"Yeah, brother?" Jason is asleep before he can say what was on his mind. But knowing his friend as well as he does, no words need to be spoken. "Don't mention it."

#

A couple more days passed before Jason was allowed out of his bed and subsequently out of his room. He was still confined to a wheelchair as his lungs were not up to walking short distances just yet. However, it was a price he would willingly pay over again if it meant he could see his brothers for the first time in a week.

Ray pushed him down the hall to Brock's room, where the team had gathered for a hearty breakfast of… nothing they could confidently identify. When their leader entered the room, four sets of eyes turned towards the door. "We interrupting something important?"

Sonny crosses the room and clasps Jason on his shoulder. "If you deem Spenser stealing a bed-ridden man's pudding important, then yes."

"I didn't steal it, Brock gave it to me." Clay argues in defense. He is laying on the spare cot the guys slept on, propped up on a pile of pillows, with some stacked under his right arm. The sling forces him to eat with his left hand, but if the four empty cups that lay strewn on a nearby table were any indication, he wasn't having much problems.

"Only the vanilla ones." says Brock from his bed. He points at Clay with his plastic spoon as he adds, "You took my last chocolate, too."

"You said I could 'have the pudding', not I could 'have the _vanilla_ pudding'." Spenser uses his left hand to air quote certain words, which only seems to irritate Reynolds more.

"It was implied!" even with a copious amount of wires attached to his arms and chest, Brock tosses his spoon at the kid. "I was eating the chocolate ones."

"Okay, children, that's enough." Jason sighs from his seat as a headache threatens to form. He missed his brothers, really, but it did not take long for them to wear him out sometimes.

"Spenser's the kid." argues Brock as he folds his arms. Like a kid.

"Yeah, well, you two are the youngest members of Bravo, so that makes you the children of the team." Speaking of team as family, Jason finally notices an important member is not in the room. And that inkling of worry starts to reappear. "Where's Trent?"

Everyone in the room quiets down and spares a glance at each other, before Sonny steps forward. He nods and Ray and Bravo Two steps to the side, allowing Three to take control of the wheelchair.

"Sonny?"

"Trent's down here, sleeping."

"Okay, why didn't you say th-"

Sonny steers Hayes into another room down the hall. The room is dimly lit, but Jason can see the curled up figure of Trent, bundled under a pile of blankets with a cannula tucked under his nose. There were a few machines in the room, telling Jason that Bravo's medic was hooked up for more than one reason.

"What happened?"

Quinn fills Hayes in on what he missed. He told their Team leader how Trent kept three member's alive, while making sure two others kept a level head. In the middle of the ocean no less.

In doing so, Trent ignored his own medical needs and wore himself thin. Turns out he got some water in the lining of his lungs when he nearly drowned and was in the early stages of pulmonary edema. Thankfully the doctors caught it when he was all but forced to get checked out. He's going to be fine, the doctors just want him to rest and go through a few oxygen treatments until his levels back where they're supposed to be.

"He did all that?" asks Jason when Sonny trails off. Truthfully, he isn't surprised. Trent was the best at what he did, not just as an operator, but as Bravo's medic and their brother. And yet, it always amazed him when he hears how Sawyer outdid himself.

"I should've noticed it sooner but… I wasn't in a good place. I'm just glad y'all are okay."

_Yeah. We're okay. And it's because of him._

**AN: The last chapter is the epilogue with how Bravo works their way back. If you aren't too tired after reading this, please leave a review. I'd love to know if you've forgiven me for all the cliffhangers I threw your way ;p**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Epilogue

It took another week, but the team was finally back home in the States, much to the joy of their respective families and significant others.

Ray, Sonny and Trent were given the all clear health wise (emotional, mental and physical). And after having a heart-to-heart moment when the others were up for it, all six members of Bravo were finally back on the same page. No one outside of those SEALs know what what spoken behind the closed door of the room the met in. No one else needed to know.

With Bravo out of commission until the other half of their team finished healing, Ray, Sonny and Trent spent time running with other teams. It was hard being apart, but there was no use in letting three tier one operators sit idly by when their skill-set could be utilized. Plus, it passed the time and kept them sane while their brothers recovered.

Jason was still going through breathing treatments, which he swore he didn't need. But seeing as he still got winded walking from the car to a building, he eventually gave up his argument. In the time he wasn't operating, he taught a few classes for Green Team, and supervised a couple of ops his brothers were apart of. It was hard, being on the sidelines like this, but he was making progress. Until he got the all clear from the docs, he'd do his part where he could.

Clay ended up needing another surgery on his shoulder to fix ligament damage that was put off until they were back in Virginia. Once he started therapy, things were going well, but a small setback pushed his recovery time. It wasn't enough to deter his efforts going forward and with each passing session the therapist marveled at the progress he continued to make. The guys noticed that Stella was surprisingly supportive. Maybe she learned her lesson, and finally figured out what it took to love a SEAL. Only time would tell.

Brock had the most difficult hill to climb. For the first few weeks he had to use a walker to get around since the damage done to his right side caused prolonged numbness in his right leg. Old man jokes aside, it was literally the only way he could get from one room to another. His toughest challenge was getting off the multitude of pills he was prescribed, as he worried he would become an addict. With the help of his brothers and his sister, and even Cerberus in his own canine way, he did it. Therapy helped him work his way from a walker to a cane, and eventually, he only had a slight limp. By the time he was walking Cerberus (who was elated to have his partner back), the limp was gone and he felt like himself for the first time in ages.

As Mandy and the CIA later discovered, Grizo was in bed with the pirates. The intel Jason grabbed from the ship was a treasure trove of intel, no pun intended. It likely held more than the simple drive Bravo was originally sent after. From a map of where stations were located to the names of potential targets and investors, is was more than what the CIA needed to take Grizo down. Mandy knew there was nothing she could say or do to show the team how grateful she was. Still, she would find a way to let them know somehow.

Nearly four months had passed since the GOPLAT incident, but Bravo Team was whole once more. They walked into the briefing room, talking about anything from the latest hockey game to how to make the perfect rack of ribs. Once they were all seated around the table, Blackburn clears his throat and gets things going.

He looks at each man, from Jason to Clay, and a feeling of pride raises in his chest. He knows what this team went through, what they overcame to get back to this point. And Eric was so damn proud to be their commander, even if they were the cause of him balding so damn early.

"As some of you may have heard, Bravo has been tasked with going after Grizo." there was a resounding cheer as the team clapped their hands or banged their fists on the table. This was big. No one would say the words, but it was a revenge mission through and through. "We only have a small window of opportunity to grab him, so we need to be on top of everything. Ellis?"

Mandy starts going over a slide of pictures as she explains the intel the CIA had been going over the last four months. There was a lot of information there, but the guys were ready and itching to get back into the field as a team.

Jason watches his men closely. Ray is giving input when asked. Sonny comments on how there is no water this go around, but before he can celebrate, Trent mentions the various species of spiders they'll have to watch out for. Brock and Clay are laughing, share a fist bump after making a bet as to how long it will take for the Texan to walk into a web.

Everything, no matter how crazy it seemed, was back to the way it should be.

"Hayes?"

Jason looks up as Eric calls his name. "Yeah?"

"You got anything to add?"

He looks at his team and smiles. "We're back, baby."

FIN

**AN: And another story is in the books. A big thank you to all who have followed this wild ride. The support of this fandom is amazing and I love sharing my stories with you all.**

**I have about a month of freedom left before I go back to university, so I'll see how many more fics I can throw your way during that time. I have a lot of WIPs to go through, so if you aren't already keep an eye on my _Brothers Collection _since I'll post more one-shots there as I (hopefully) finish them. Or who knows, maybe I'll whip another multi-chapter story out of thin air. *shrug*  
**

**Thanks again! XxX**


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